Egyptian sleeve progress

By Anonymous · Oct. 13, 2008

So I decided to continue on my black and gray Egyptian themed sleeve. My new addition would be an outline type portrait of King Tut. I was really excited to get this tattoo as I already had two nice sized pieces on my arm. This would just add to the overall coverage on my arm and I was pumped as you might be able to imagine. Alright, let's start this story.

It was the morning of my appointment and I was as excited as I could be. Having many a tattoo, I have grown accustomed to the process and flow of tattoo shops and just love the atmosphere. I arrived at the shop 15 minutes early, totally prepared with pictures and a homemade outline of what I was looking for. There were a few people milling around the shop: a piercer and receptionist, two more artists with customers, a mother and her four children, two of whom were getting their own ink I believe. Some good music was playing, a movie was flickering on a table suspended in the back corner of the room and the walls were covered in some outrageous artwork. I couldn't have be happier or more comfortable. The artist started preparing a sweet outline himself and I knew that it was almost time for what could only be a tremendous experience and boy was I ready.
I had time to run next store and grab a bite to eat, which I took full advantage of and bought a sandwich. I ate, listened to some music and got even more mentally stoked. I arrived back at the shop and finally got into the chair about an hour after I had gotten there. That was the worst part of the day; waiting to get into that damn chair. It took a few attempts to get the outline on straight. Once we did, it was on and popping and I could hardly control myself. I took a deep breath and needle started working its magic. The tattoo is large, running from the very tippy top of my arm to slightly above my elbow region, so I knew it would take a few hours even without color.

We began the outline which was cool and actually looked pretty badass alone. The outline took quite a bit of time but it was super detailed. The artist had hit the basic outline (without all the little detail stuff) with a real nice double thick bold line. That made the form and shape really stand out. Another artist had actually commented on his method, which was pretty sweet and made me feel like I was in very good hands. It was coming along beautifully and I couldn't believe that I was getting this nice of piece done. It still hadn't completely hit me.

We took a cigarette break and showed the outline to the various and entertaining staff members. It felt nice to take a break and get some fresh air, but I really just wanted the piece to get completed and show everybody I know. I was on cloud nine at this point. Anyway, we got back to business and started on the shading and detailing of the piece. This was the most tedious part of the process by far, in my opinion. This piece has a lot of little detail and an amazing amount of tight linework. King Tut's headpiece is a series of horizontal lines of alternating color. The artist was totally focused and just kept banging out the tattoo piece by piece. As the shading started slow and steady, it was totally worth it because it worked out perfectly.

After having sat in the chair for a good two and a half hours, I was itching to be free with my new ink. I could tell that it was pretty much finished and I was totally anxious to get out of there. I was like a kid on Christmas morning. I could see the progression on the piece and was just feeling more and more amped about it. It was turning into a truly awesome piece and looking much much better that I had envisioned. I was on such a high. My brother showed up during this part. He had never seen anyone getting ink and was fairly curious of how everything worked. That was pretty cool because I love sharing my passion and love for tattooing with others, especially close family members. Seeing people interested in learning about new and exciting things is great and just as exciting itself.

We finally finished up and I couldn't wait to see the whole piece completely finished. It was beautiful and amazing and I can't really describe it other than that. I love the ink and can't wait to finish my sleeve. I wish I could do this every day.

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submitted by: Anonymouson: 13 Oct. 2008in
Tattoos

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